What Can an Idol Give Us?

Idols don’t come from nowhere. 

Idols, in and of themselves, are not evil. They are not demons; they are not the enemy himself.

Idols are ordinary objects and concepts we have made dangerous, by placing them in the spaces of our hearts only the Savior was meant to go.  

We are the ones that craft our idols and we are the ones who give them power.

Money that feeds our need for security. Talent that feeds our need for value. Status that feeds our need for validation. The list goes on.

Idols can be so many things but what they can’t be is real. They can’t be eternal. 

Idols may offer us hope, validation, security. They may make us feel younger, more attractive, more needed, more valuable. But they can’t give true security, lasting peace, or an unshakable understanding of our value. How do we know? Because the second the idol is gone, so are those feelings. 

They crumble like crackers in our hands.

And yet we’ve seen from scripture (and our own lives), that idols have as much destructive power as the lies of the Enemy—who is actively trying to seek, kill and destroy—can have. 

This proves, not the power of the Idol, but the power of the human heart. It matters—possibly more than anything in our lives—where we focus it.

So, can idols give us anything but heartache? Actually, yes. 

They can give us an opportunity. 

A unique opportunity to see our hearts for what they really are. Because, just as the heart is powerful, so can it be deceiving. But an idol puts the heart on display for all its Swiss-cheese glory. It shows us those holes that we have yet to allow God fill.

Now, if you’re reading this blog, it’s likely you have already come to your own revelation about what Jesus did while here on earth. You have some concept of how He died for you to bridge the gap between you and your incredibly compassionate and stunningly good Creator. 

But if you haven’t had this revelation just yet, you should know He’s the one who made you, and He made you with Him in mind—in other words, you are meant to live in tandem with your Creator.

So naturally, there are holes. Silences He is meant to fill. Gaps He is meant to close, and spaces He is meant to speak into.

But learning who God is to our souls, is a life-long journey, and it takes time to get to know anyone, including your Creator.

So, wherever there’s a gap in our hearts, there’s an opportunity to learn about another grace-filled, lifesaving, purpose-giving characteristic of the King of the Universe.

Real-life example time.

1). People make quick idols in my heart. I don’t know why yet, but they always have. I’ve often looked to those in authority, those who have status and the approval of other people, to give me the validation my heart naturally craves.

But God, in his mercy, often crumbles those crackers—revealing himself to be the ultimate being of importance—and reassures me that the True King values me. In fact, He calls me his rose. (Song of Songs 2:1 TPT). As often as I let Him, He speaks into that space and fills it with words of love and validation. 

2.) I’ve had an excel spreadsheet budget become my idol. Hilarious I know. But sadly, oh so true. My security, trust, and a strange sense of identity wherein responsibility=character, went straight into that spreadsheet. 

But, again—as those crackers crumbled in a world that really doesn’t care about how responsible we are—my God took me on a journey to prove Himself as my Provider. I went from anxious and preoccupied to peaceful and secure as He proved his faithfulness, time and again (Matthew 6:26).

3)Lastly (for the blog at least) even my own words have been idols. I’ve had to fight tooth and nail, particularly in the last four years, to keep my love of writing from becoming an idol. Especially in the unseen years of motherhood, ministry and covid-iso, when my dream of being published gave my heart the hope of being seen someday. 

But I uncovered that idol, and it revealed a space of my heart Jesus had not yet convinced me He was Lord of. Not because He didn’t want to, but because I’d yet to realize he needed to. And yet, he has proven it, time and again, with small and big gestures alike. He is Jehovah El Roi. The God who sees. (Genesis 16:13). 

So, today. Rather than sitting in fear, or self-condemnation of the idols in your life, perhaps see them as a sober opportunity. A fresh chance to clear out those spaces meant for God and invite Him to fill them. 

I am excited as I imagine Him showing you sides of His face and heart that He’s been aching to show you; power He can’t wait to prove, gestures of love He’s been dying to display, words He’s been waiting to speak over you.

Don’t wait. Take inventory, clean out the crumbs, journey with Him.